Dou Shuwan lowered her head, then after a moment of silence, raised her eyes to meet Jiang Si’s gaze. She spoke with determination, “I only ask to save my brother’s life. For everything else, I defer to the Princess’s decision.”
If she were to plead for her brother this time, allowing him to escape due punishment, it would truly be harming him. Her brother, thinking he had powerful backing, would become more and more reckless in his future actions, eventually committing a capital offense.
Hearing Dou Shuwan’s response, Jiang Si smiled, “I’m glad you don’t blame me, Cousin.”
Dou Shuwan gave a self-deprecating smile, “I’d be foolish to blame you, Princess. With the New Year approaching, perhaps I should return to the Earl’s mansion to accompany my aunt.”
After her brother’s actions had tarnished the Prince and Princess’s reputations, she felt she had no right to stay.
Jiang Si reached out and held Dou Shuwan’s hand, “If you say that, Cousin, it means you do blame me.”
Dou Shuwan hurriedly denied it.
“Then please stay with ease, Cousin. The Prince is often busy, and I get lonely in this vast manor by myself.”
Dou Shuwan nodded, her face reddening.
She couldn’t completely disregard her interests and didn’t want to return to the Earl’s mansion unless necessary.
The next day, Yu Jin went to the Zhenfu Si where Cousin Dou was being held.
A Zhenfu official under Han Ran received Yu Jin.
The official was somewhat perplexed by Yu Jin’s arrival.
Surely the Prince of Yan wasn’t foolish enough to come and plead for that troublemaker?
He shouldn’t be, as this matter had reached the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The Prince of Yan shouldn’t be that stupid.
However, if the Princess of Yan were to plead softly, that might be a different story.
“For publicly harassing a respectable woman and causing her to commit suicide out of shame, what punishment does our Great Zhou law prescribe?” Yu Jin asked.
The official thought for a moment and replied, “The crime warrants exile.”
Strictly according to the law, the crime was indeed severe. However, in reality, only those without powerful backing were exiled. None of those young nobles had ever been exiled.
“Does he have any other crimes?” Yu Jin inquired.
The official was taken aback, increasingly unsure of Yu Jin’s intentions.
“We haven’t uncovered anything more at present.”
“How long would it take to investigate further?”
The official suddenly felt pressured and said, “At least two days.”
A thorough investigation into that troublemaker’s past was personally ordered by Commander Han, so they naturally wouldn’t dare to be careless.
“Then I’ll return in two days.” Yu Jin didn’t waste words. After asking his questions, he left promptly, leaving the official bewildered.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Emperor Jingming listened to Han Ran’s report immediately, his gaze deep, “So you’re saying that the Princess of Yan’s cousin hasn’t committed any major crimes during his time in the capital?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Although he’s been idle since leaving the East Peace Earl’s mansion, he hasn’t committed any serious offenses. When short of money, he would find ways to ask his sister for it. This incident of publicly harassing a respectable woman was his first offense. My subordinates have learned that someone gave him a hundred taels of silver to instigate this act.”
Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow, “What was the purpose of instigating him to harass a respectable woman?”
“According to his confession, the person said that a woman had seduced a certain madam’s husband, and that madam wanted to vent her anger. However, my subordinates have inquired about the woman’s past, and the neighbors speak well of her character. No one described her as a frivolous person…”
“If she were frivolous, she wouldn’t have committed suicide out of shame,” Emperor Jingming said coldly.
If this was true, and if the Seventh Prince’s wife’s cousin wasn’t lying, then he had been used.
The person’s intent was obvious – they were targeting the Seventh Prince and his wife.
Emperor Jingming couldn’t help but recall what Yu Jin had said in Cining Palace two days ago: “I just find it too coincidental that Grandmother, who rarely goes out, happened to encounter Jiang Si’s cousin committing evil acts in the street.”
The Seventh Prince was right; most things in this world aren’t coincidences.
By this point, Emperor Jingming’s anger over Jiang Si’s relative’s misdeeds had completely dissipated, replaced by irritation.
The palace was shrouded in dark clouds, and now even outside wasn’t peaceful. Who exactly was plotting against his Seventh Son?
“Have you identified the person who instigated him?” Emperor Jingming asked.
Han Ran lowered his head, “Not yet, Your Majesty.”
The Jinlin Guard might sound formidable and fear-inspiring, but they weren’t miracle workers. They couldn’t investigate every little detail.
For a street ruffian like Cousin Dou, who would encounter numerous and diverse people daily, and who wasn’t already under the Jinlin Guard’s surveillance like certain individuals, finding that person would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Emperor Jingming understood this, of course. Suppressing his displeasure, he asked, “Has the Prince of Yan made any moves yet?”
That boy said he’d resolve the problem in three days, and now only one day remained.
“The Prince of Yan visited the Southern Zhenfu Si the day before yesterday, but there’s been no reaction since then.” Han Ran was equally curious about what method Yu Jin would use to salvage his reputation.
A distant relative of a princess committing a misdeed wouldn’t normally be eye-catching, but because the Emperor and Empress Dowager were paying attention to it, almost all the nobles and officials now knew about it.
Everyone was waiting to see the Prince of Yan’s next move.
Emperor Jingming frowned slightly, “What have you found out about that small shop on West Market Street?”
“Your Majesty, that small shop has been open for fifteen years and is indeed run by a Wu Miao grandmother and grandchild. Every year in May or June, the shop closes for a period. When open, business is slow, and the two rarely interact with others. According to my subordinates’ reports, the Wu Miao old woman seems to have noticed she’s being watched. Should we take them into custody…”
Emperor Jingming nodded, “Very well. Pan Hai, summon the Prince of Yan to the palace.”
When Yu Jin arrived, both Pan Hai and Han Ran were in the imperial study.
Yu Jin greeted Emperor Jingming, “Father.”
Emperor Jingming nodded and spoke directly, “These past two days, Pan Hai has investigated Nanny Duo. She indeed had contact with Beauty Chen. When the Fourteenth Princess fell ill several times, Cining Palace sent Nanny Duo to visit and console her.”
After Consort Yang’s brother died tragically, she had several confrontations with him. Cining Palace had also sent Nanny Duo to advise Consort Yang to behave properly. However, due to the matter between Consort Yang and the Crown Prince, it wasn’t convenient to explain this to the Seventh Prince.
Han Ran stood to the side with lowered eyes, feeling surprised.
He had thought the Emperor summoned the Prince of Yan to ask how he planned to resolve the trouble caused by the Princess of Yan’s cousin. He didn’t expect the Emperor to discuss palace secrets with the Prince of Yan.
It seemed the Prince of Yan’s performance at that family banquet had truly won the Emperor’s favor.
Unaware of the surprise his father’s actions had caused Han Ran, Yu Jin spoke, “Before Nanny Duo surfaced, I had guessed this person held a high position and had legitimate opportunities to contact Beauty Chen. It seems I was correct.”
He paused, then asked Emperor Jingming, “Did Eunuch Pan find out how Nanny Duo entered the palace? From the information Eunuch Pan provided earlier, Nanny Duo was already twenty when she entered the palace fifteen years ago, while most palace maids are recruited between the ages of thirteen and sixteen.”
Following Yu Jin’s question, Emperor Jingming’s face darkened. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, “Nanny Duo entered the palace through Princess Rongyang’s connections.”